IllustrationCAMPAIGN # 03V309000 MY ROAD STAR HAS BEEN AT MY DEALER SINCE 1/16/04 WAITING FOR THE REPAIR. I THINK ALMOST TWO MONTHS IS REASONABLE TIME FOR THE REPAIR. DEALER DOES NOT KNOW WHEN THEY WILL RECIEVE NECESSARY PARTS.*AK
2003 Yamaha Road Star Limited Edition
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Road Star Limited Edition years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 7 of 14 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
14 reportsRECALL OF DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION. PARTS THAT ARE NEEDED FOR REPAIR ARE NOT AVAILABLE. NO TIME FRAME FOR REPAIRS. TWO (2) MONTHS SINCE RECALL NOTIFICATION. INSTRUCTED NOT TO USE VEHICLE UNTIL COMPLETED. VEHICLE NEEDS TO BE INSURED AND LOANS PAID BUT UNABLE TO USE VEHICLE. *AK
RECALL ON MY 2003 YAMAHA ROAD STAR SE. RECEIVED RECALL LETTER FROM YAMAHA IN JANUARY, DEALER HAS NO PARTS TO REPAIR WITH NO DATES AS TO WHEN TO EXPECT THEM. WROTE AND CALLED YAMAHA HEAD QUARTERS IN CALIFORNIA, THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE LOANER, BUY BACK THE BIKE, OR EXTEND WARRANTY. MY BIKE HAS 4700 MILES ON IT AND THEY WANT TO TE…
Read full complaint
RECALL ON MY 2003 YAMAHA ROAD STAR SE. RECEIVED RECALL LETTER FROM YAMAHA IN JANUARY, DEALER HAS NO PARTS TO REPAIR WITH NO DATES AS TO WHEN TO EXPECT THEM. WROTE AND CALLED YAMAHA HEAD QUARTERS IN CALIFORNIA, THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE LOANER, BUY BACK THE BIKE, OR EXTEND WARRANTY. MY BIKE HAS 4700 MILES ON IT AND THEY WANT TO TEAR DOWN THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION TO REPAIR IT, ONCE THE PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. THIS WOULD MAKE THE BIKE A REBUILD, I PAID FOR A NEW BIKE, NOT A REBUILD. I AM ALSO MAKING MONTHLY PAYMENTS ON A BIKE YAMAHA SAYS NOT TO RIDE UNTIL REPAIRS OR DONE. I THEN TRIED TO TRADE IN MY FEW MONTH OLD BIKE FOR NEW 2004 ROAD STAR THROUGH SEVERAL DEALERS IN OKC, IT WAS A JOKE! THEY WANTED ME TO PAY 4 - 6 THOUSAND DOLLAR DIFFERENCE. THE BIKES ARE LESS THAN $300 DIFFERENCE IN PRICE FROM 2003 AND 2004. NOTE: THIS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM LOCKS UP THE BAKE WHEEL, WHICH IS VERY SERIOUS! I THINK THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN FATALITIES!*AK
CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER ON JANUARY 20, 2004 REGARDING TRANSMISSION. FAILURE. DEALERSHIP DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS AVAILABLE TO CONDUCT RECALL REPAIRS. DEALER INDICATED THAT THE CONSUMER SHOULD WAIT AT LEAST FIVE MONTHS. *AK
Official recalls
103V309000 · Power Train:manual Transmission
Aug 26, 2003
IN THE TRANSMISSION ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE SECOND/THIRD PINION GEAR MAY BE INCORRECTLY MACHINED WHICH COULD CAUSE ABNORMAL WEAR THAT EVENTUALLY RESULTS IN A BROKEN RETAINER CIRCLIP.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE CIRCLIP BREAKS, THE TRANSMISSION COULD LOCK UP, WHICH WOULD ALSO CAUSE THE REAR WHEEL TO LOCK UP. THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND A CRASH, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.
Remedy: YAMAHA WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION GEARS AND SHAFTS WITH NEW ONES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT YAMAHA AT 1-800-88-YAMAHA OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.YAMAHA-MOTOR.COM.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.